Well after a fantastic Summer (I am assured it was somewhere!) it's now a sensible time to prepare your car for another British Winter. I thought it may be useful to suggest a few measures which could help avoid the frustration of a mid-Winter breakdown, other than simply emigrating to warmer climates for the next 5 months or so. Remember, this is Britain in Winter, so it's reasonably safe to assume that it will be cold, it will be wet, it will probably freeze and snow at some stage and prevention is better than cure. Hopefully this simple checklist may help:
Fuel. Try to keep fuel at no less than a quarter of a tank to allow for emergencies.
Antifreeze. Check coolant level regularly and top up when necessary. Get a garage to check concentration levels are high enough to protect against really low temperatures
Tyres. Make sure your tyres have plenty of tread (at least 3mm). Check pressures regularly (at least once every fortnight) as cold weather will cause you're tyre pressure to fall.
Battery. Get a garage to check your battery (and alternator) to check it's charging correctly. If it isn't, change it.
Lights. Carry spare bulbs and clean your lights regularly so that you can see and be seen.
Wiper blades. Make sure that you wiper blades are up to standard. Ensure they are not cracked or perished and are not leaving marks across the screen.
Screenwash. Top up your screenwash regularly and carry a ready made up bottle in the boot just in case. Screen wash can often run out quickly if you do a lot of Winter driving.
Things to carry. Ice scraper, de-icer, warning triangle, tow rope, jump leads, reflective jacket and a torch. Also, if travelling in snowy conditions, carry a shovel, warm clothing a bottle of water and a bar of chocolate.
Some extra top tips!
Locks. Spraying some WD-40 into your locks will help to stop them freezing.
Windscreen. Keeping your screen clean helps reduce dazzle from low sun.
Doors seals. Rubbing a small amount of vaseline onto your door seals will help prevent them from freezing shut.
Great advice Paul. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail, except that in this case the consequences can be very serious if you don't take sensible precautions to deal with the perils of Winter driving.
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